Accidental gods : on men unwittingly turned divine
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"A provocative history of men who were worshipped as gods that illuminates the connection between power and religion and the role of divinity in a secular age"--,Provided by publisher.

In a revelatory history spanning five centuries, Subin sheds light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of "religion" was invented; why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age; and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed. From nationalist uprisings in India to Nigerien spirit possession cults, she explores how deification has been a means of defiance for colonized peoples. Conversely, we see how Columbus, Cortés, and other white explorers amplified stories of their godhood to justify their dominion over native peoples, setting into motion the currents of racism and exclusion that have plagued the New World ever since they touched its shores. - adapted from jacket